How to Add Fiber to Your Dogs Diet

Updated on September 20, 2009

Premium dog food usually comes with a good dose of dietary fiber, but some dogs will require more fiber than their dog chow provides. This may be the case for dogs with anal sac disease, dogs who don't poo on a regular schedule, or any other number of situations. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to add fiber to your dog's diet. Some people will prefer adding natural roughage, but not all dogs are going to be down with that. In fact, some dogs will just raise an eyebrow if you stick veggies and other fiber goodies in their bowl. If you've got one of those dogs, this article is for you.

If you live in Europe you're probably very familiar with Wasa crackers, as they are stocked up in every supermarket. Seriously, there must be 50 versions of these crackers and all of them are something like 15% or 16% fiber. If you live in the US I'm not quite sure how prominent these are in the cracker aisle but I know I'd spotted them a time or two before I left the country so I'm sure you can find them if you look around a bit. Now; if you've ever had a Wasa cracker yourself, you'll know that they taste remarkably like paper. They are also crunchy. While this doesn't particularly appeal to my taste buds, many dogs love them, and they are much easier to give Fido than, say, mixing powdered fiber into his food.

How many Wasa crackers should you give Fido?

You don't want to give Fido too many of these to start, because too many could upset his stomach and lead to runny poo. I would start a 40 pound dog on 2 crackers a day and see how that works out -- 3 is often just right, and I can tell you that I've seen 4 lead to mushy poo so don't go there until you're sure 3 isn't enough.

Are Wasa crackers healthy for your dog?

Wasa crackers are bland and unappetizing to most of us because they are so low in salt, sugar and other baddies. Obviously the number of crackers you'd give your dog will depend on his size and how much fiber he needs (discuss this with your vet first) but generally speaking the crackers are quite healthy and should not lead to weight gain, either.

Trying different flavors.

Like I said there are many types of Wasa bread and you may not want your dog eating certain grains if they've got an allergy, so be sure to read the ingredients first. Also note that some types of seasoning can lead to very stinky dog breath so be sure to buy the plain type.

You can even use them for dog training!

If your dog likes these crackers they make a great training treat and can easily be broken into little pieces.

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